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Lynnfield Public Library Staff Picks

Lynnfield Library Staff Picks: June 2024

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Have you been looking for something new to read? We’ve got a few suggestions!

Meegham Bresnahan, Reference

Seeing Gender by Iris Gottlieb – This book was a great read! It was inclusive, informative, and funny. I’ve read a lot of books about gender, but the accessibility of this book really connected with me in a way no other has been able to; I now understand my gender better than ever!

Book

Alison Quill, Circulation

Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King – A slow start but once it picked up, I couldn’t put it down. And anyone who has read the Dark Tower series will appreciate the references!

Book

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell – Beautiful imagery and storytelling that showcases an introverted protagonist I was rooting for from the start. 

Book | Large Print | eBook | eAudiobook

Abigail Porter, Director

The Worst Ronin by Maggie Tokuda-Hall – Maggie Tokuda-Hall – A review I read called this book Nimona meets Attack on Titan, so I knew I had to read it. Two female samurai join forces to take on a demon in rural Japan. But it turns out, they’ve been involved in a twisted plot that will change both of their lives. At times funny, but also heart-wrenching, I couldn’t put this graphic novel down!

Book

We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian – This is the novel we read for Meet Cutes in June and it was such a treat! I always put Cat Sebastian’s new books on hold as soon as they are published. This one was a sweet, slow burn romance between a ditzy heir to a newspaper and the hard-boiled reporter he befriends while he is learning the ropes. Perfect for Pride month!

Book | eBook | eAudiobook 

A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales – This book was such silly fun. A campy Jane Austen novel, complete with a murder mystery! Beatrice is secretly obsessed with true crime. If society were to find out, she would be an outcast. But then a handsome gentleman is murdered at a ball and the assistant of Beatrice’s favorite detective is on the scene. Will Beatrice finally get to put her own detective skills to the test or will propriety tie her hands?

Book | Large Print | eBook | eAudiobook


Christian Kelly, Circulation

Stories of Leo Tolstoy – While each story is distinct in its subject matter. The consistent tenderness with which Tolstoy navigates human emotion leaves me to believe there is at least one story in this collection for everyone.  

eAudiobook

Complete metropolis, directed by Fritz Lang – It might very well be one of the most beautiful movies ever made. Unfortunately for the longest time watching the complete film was impossible. Fortunately, a virtually complete version of the film that has been pieced together from various prints now exists, and it is now possible to watch the film in as complete of a state as it is likely ever to be. 

Blu Ray DVD

Barbara Kampas, Reference

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel – This book recounts Stephane Breitwieser’s obsession for stealing artworks from museums and cathedrals throughout Europe for his own private collection. Over 300 pieces of art were stolen while the institutions were open to the public. More than 200 heists in eight years eventually led to arrest and imprisonment only to be rekindled upon release from  prison.

Book | eBook | eAudiobook

The Museum of Lost Quilts by Jennifer Chiaverini – The most recent title in the Elm Creek Quilt series. Summer Sullivan, the youngest member of Elm Creek Quilts, organizes an exhibit of antique quilts to raise money for the restoration of the Waterford Historical Society building. Quilts hung in the exhibit challenge the town’s history of racism and political corruption. 

Book | Large Print | eBook

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange – I listened to the audiobook version of this title, narrated by a variety of voices. The novel traces the legacy of the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School through three generations of one family greatly impacted by such a legacy. 

Book | Large Print | eBook | CD Audiobook

Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie – This book recounts the knife attack on Rushdie in 2022 during a conference at the Chautauqua Institution, the theme of which was devoted to the importance of keeping authors safe from harm. The author discusses the aftermath of the attack, his twelve weeks in the hospital and an imagined interview with the attacker. 

Book | Large Print | eBook | eAudiobook | CD Audiobook

Rachel Huntington, Reference

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston – I love a good love story mixed with good fantasy and this offers just that.

Book | eBook | eAudiobook | CD Audiobook 

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker – Pat Barker has taken Homer’s Odyssey and cast a light on the women in that story using beautiful prose.

Book | Large Print Book

Spencer Stevens, Cataloging and Technical Services

Native Nations: A Millennium in North America by Kathleen DuVal – I really enjoyed and appreciated this book, which focused on the history of Native American cultures and nations. I am thankful that the author centered Native American voices, beliefs, and histories and also challenged preconceptions that many white Americans hold about Native Americans.

Book

Marita Klements, Assistant Director

Into the Amazon: The Life of Candido Rondon, Trailblazing Explorer, Scientist, Statesman, and Conservationist by Larry Rohter – I had never heard of Candido Rondon before I read this book, and I knew very little about Brazilian history.  That has certainly changed!  This biography is a fascinating and compellingly written picture of a person, time and place.  

eBook | eAudiobook

Everyday Something Has Tried to Kill Me and Has Failed by Kim McLarin – A powerfully and beautifully written collection of essays about racism in America, from an author who is fed up.  I couldn’t put this book down.  

Book | eBook

That time I got drunk and saved a demon by Kimberly Lemming – Somedays you just want to read a spicy romance novel that takes place in a Dungeons and Dragons inspired universe.  This book is about a world with evil witches, sexy dragons, and beautiful women who love to party.  The good guys are thoughtful and well meaning, and the bad guys are all defeated in the end, and there’s great food and great sex throughout.

Book | eBook